Dissolution before no-faith motion?

22 June 2015 01:47 am

Parliament will be dissolved prior to the debate on the no confidence motion already listed on the Order Paper, it is learnt.

Already, three no confidence motions have been handed over against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake and Public Order and Christian Religious Affairs Minister John Amaratunga.

Of them, the no confidence motion against Mr. Karunanayake has been listed for debate in Parliament on July 6. However, highly placed political sources said yesterday that Parliament would be dissolved before that, making way for a snap general election. Earlier, the President announced that a new Parliament would be in place by September.

The United National Party (UNP), the dominant party of the Government is pressing for the dissolution of Parliament. However, the Opposition, particularly the faction backing former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is agitating for debates on the no confidence motions. It is learnt that the leaders of the political parties in the Opposition will raise this matter at the Business Committee meeting of Parliament today. Yet, the UNP has even passed a resolution at its Working Committee meeting that all these motions should be withdrawn.

In the meantime, the political parties have already started work on the preparation of nomination lists. The UNP has already received over 15,000 applications from prospective candidates. The party has decided to contest alone at the next election under its elephant symbol. (KB)